


Anything But Mine

by Kabby_Kru



Series: Kabby as Country Songs [1]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Carnival, F/M, Falling In Love, Ferris Wheels, Love at First Sight, So many tropes, Songfic, Summer, Summer Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:47:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24632548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kabby_Kru/pseuds/Kabby_Kru
Summary: Marcus Kane loves when the fair comes to town. The smell of corn dogs and deep fried twinkies, the sound of screams on the scrambler and bumper cars crashing into one another, it just takes him back to the carefree days of childhood. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he would meet the most beautiful woman ever at a fair. What happens between Marcus Kane and Abby Griffin after he bumps into her and causes her to drop her funnel cake on the ground? Is it true love or a summer fling?
Relationships: Abby Griffin & Marcus Kane, Abby Griffin/Marcus Kane
Series: Kabby as Country Songs [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1780984
Comments: 8
Kudos: 16





	Anything But Mine

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to @Melanie_B for being my amazing beta reader!
> 
> Based off of the song Anything But Mine by Kenny Chesney.

Marcus Kane loved summertime and he loved fairs. The sound of bumper cars crashing into one another, the cries of children from the carnival rides, the unmistakable echo of skee-balls rolling and crashing against the wooden ramp; the all too familiar carnival sounds permeated the fairgrounds and made him feel like a kid again. The smell of deep fried treats wafted from the plethora of concession tents as he strolled by, causing his mouth to water and his stomach to grumble. He breathed the scent in as the warm ocean breeze made its way past the towering hotel walls and blew against his face. The summer sun was just beginning to fall out of sight, creating the most beautiful sunset over the ocean and Marcus just had to get a closer look. He walked distractedly towards the pier, digging out his cell phone so he could take a picture. He didn’t notice the small, petite woman who’d just left the concession tent and he bumped into her at full force, causing her to drop her funnel cake, whipped cream and hot fudge covering his black t-shirt.

The small woman gasped and stuttered.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you,” they both said in unison. Marcus blushed and rubbed his neck. The woman, who looked flushed, smiled, then peered at the ground.

“Let me get that for you,” he said as she began to bend down to pick the wasted deep fried cake from the dirty wooden walkway. He reached down and removed the funnel cake from the ground then threw it away in the nearby trash can.

She smiled at him, said “thanks,” and then eyed his t-shirt. “You have a little…” She stepped back over to the tent, excusing herself through the crowd in line for their own deep fried treats, and returned with a handful of thin paper napkins. She gently grabbed his cotton tee and began to rub the sugary stain out the best that she could. Her hand rested against his bare stomach as she cleaned off his shirt, even adding a dash of water from her bottle to “get rid of the stickiness.” Every second that she touched him, he felt warmer and warmer, and it wasn’t because of the sun—it went down somewhere between the fall of the funnel cake and the grabbing of the napkins.

“There. Good as new,” she smiled proudly.

Marcus glanced down at his shirt, admiring her handiwork. “Thank you. I’m not a fan of wearing my dessert.”

“It’s the least I could do for getting my funnel cake all over you,” she said.

“Oh, please, that was my fault. The least that _I_ could do is buy you another one.”

“That’s really not necessary—”

“I insist,” he said, donning his most charming smile.

“Well, if you insist,” she smiled back, and her beautiful white teeth glowed in the dark.

The line was much longer now, but Marcus told her he didn’t mind, and he was going to make sure he got her a new funnel cake since he was the one who bumped into her.

“Where were you off to in such a hurry, anyway,” she asked.

He smiled bashfully and rubbed his neck. “I wanted a picture of the sunset…”

The woman frowned. “And you missed it? Why didn’t you say something, I wouldn’t have held you up.”

“There’ll be plenty more sunsets. I’m just fine right here.”

Silence fell between the pair as they met one another’s gaze. Marcus could have stared into her hot cocoa colored eyes all night—eyes that reminded him of a cold, Christmas morning, eyes that wrapped around him like a soft fleece blanket, swallowing him up in their warmth, making him feel right at home. She broke eye contact and cleared her throat; the fleeting moment was over, but Marcus never could peel his eyes off of her. Once she returned to his gaze, he could see she was blushing. He knew it was rude to stare, but he couldn’t _not_ stare.

“I never caught your name,” she said, finally, her cheeks still a soft pink.

“Marcus.”

“I’m Abby.”

Abby. His new favorite name.

“It’s nice to meet you, Abby.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Marcus.”

It was finally their turn at the counter and Marcus bought her a new funnel cake, with whipped cream and hot fudge, just how she liked it. Once the funnel cake was in her hands, they stood awkwardly to the side of the concessions tent, unsure where to go to from there. He felt Abby’s eyes on him as she watched him in silence; he began to speak, then he stopped. He tried to work up enough courage to ask her what her plans for the rest of the night were. In the end, he couldn’t do it. What if she was married? Or just not interested? He didn’t want to seem like a creep, following her around all night after crashing into her and causing her to drop her dessert.

“You have a good night, Abby,” he said, decidedly.

“Oh… Okay. Good night, Marcus.” She sounded confused. As he turned and walked away, he heard her call out: “It was nice to meet you!”

He turned back to face her but didn’t stop walking away, “Nice meeting you, too.”

He didn’t know _why_ he was so scared to ask her to hang out, and he certainly didn’t understand why he needed to get away from her so quickly. She seemed confused why he didn’t stick around, and her calling out again as he walked away showed that she didn’t mind his company… But it was only a matter of time that he’d say something dumb and make her regret agreeing to hang out with him. She was way out of his league and he had no clue how to talk to a woman like that. He was never good with girls. He had a few flings here and there but never anything serious. Commitment terrified him, simply because he had a fear of abandonment. His therapist would chalk it up to childhood trauma, all beginning at the tender age of 5 when his father left. He stepped into the restroom and rinsed his face with cold water, asking himself why he wasn’t braver.

He hung his head, defeated, unable to get Abby out of his mind. He stood in line for a corn dog but he could only take two bites before he was full. He’d lost his appetite. He walked along the boardwalk beneath the flashing color of carnival lights, absently strolling along for an hour or so, until he decided to make his way to the ferris wheel. Marcus always loved ferris wheels. There was something about the slow, peaceful ride and the feel of the wind on his face that always cleared his head.

“Marcus?”

A familiar, raspy voice stirred him from his thoughts. He turned to see Abby sitting in a passenger car of the ferris wheel.

“Care to join me,” she asked.

Marcus smiled and nodded and joined Abby in the passenger car. The ferris wheel started up and they began to slowly move, the ground getting farther and farther away.

Views from ferris wheels were beautiful. The city lights aglow from down below, the moon dancing against the ocean water, but yet the only view Marcus was interested in was Abby: her dark brown eyes, her sharp cheek bones, her honey hair resting in a ponytail atop her head. Her glowing white smile, her throaty laugh, her gentle hands which were now wrapped around his arm.

“You’re shaking,” he said, rubbing her hands.

“I’m not a fan of heights.”

“Then why are you on a ferris wheel?”

“The view is worth it,” she said. “And so is the company.”

Their eyes met and Marcus wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closely to him. She bit her lip and he moved in, garnering up enough courage to kiss her. Their lips were centimeters away from one another and he could feel the heat between them grow. He closed his eyes and decided to just go for it, until the abrupt stop of the ferris wheel interrupted his plans. There they were, as high as they could be at the very top of the ferris wheel: stuck.

Marcus sighed and put his head in his hands because not only did he just miss his chance on kissing the most beautiful woman he’s ever met, but now they’re stuck at the top of a ferris wheel.

“Is the view still worth it,” he asked.

Abby laughed nervously, “I’m going to pretend that we’re not stuck 40 feet in the air. The company, however, is still worth it.”

Marcus smiled, and not wanting to miss his chance again, grabbed her face and honed in on her lips. He kissed her softly, slowly, and she kissed him back with a passion that ignites. As they pulled apart, Abby chuckled lightly.

“What? Was it that bad,” Marcus asked.

“No, no. It’s just… I’ve never done that before. I mean, I don’t even know your last name!”

Marcus smiled, relieved that they were in the same, inexperienced boat (or, ferris wheel car, rather). “You’ve never kissed a total stranger? That makes two of us.” He leaned in and kissed her once, twice, three times, unable to get enough. When they broke free of one another, he leaned in and whispered in her ear. “My last name is Kane, by the way.”

She giggled as his beard brushed against her ear lobe. She told him that her last name was Griffin.

“Now we’re not strangers,” Marcus said matter-of-factly, before going in for just one more kiss.

Marcus asked Abby what brought her to the fair and a saddened expression fell over her face. She cleared her throat, but he could tell she was wary.

“You don’t have to talk about it,” he said.

“No, it’s okay. I want to… My husband and I used to take our daughter every year. Clarke _loved_ the fair, so did Jake. I wasn’t a huge fan of the noise and the crowds but I did it for them.

"They passed away 3 years ago in a car crash, but I still come here every year, I order my daughter’s favorite funnel cake and ride on my husband’s favorite ride: the ferris wheel. It’s crazy, I know, but I feel closest to them when I come here.”

“Abby, I… I’m sorry.”

Abby forced a smile and blinked away the tears in her eyes that tried to fight their way out. Marcus wrapped her in his arms and held her until she was ready for him to let go.

Once she composed herself, she told Marcus that if she hadn’t become a doctor, she wanted to be a science teacher, stating that astronomy was her favorite subject. He held her against him and asked her if she could teach him about the stars. They both gazed up at the night sky as Abby pointed out Orion, The Big Dipper, The Little Dipper, and Gemini, listing off facts about each of them, some of the information going way over Marcus’s head.

She asked him what he did for work and he told her that he was a web developer who works from home. She asked him more about his job, what it entails, and then he asked her about her job as a family doctor. Not only was she beautiful and smart, but their conversation flowed so naturally. It felt like a dream.

After their small talk, they held one another in comfortable silence, still gazing at the night sky, when they heard the sound of the ferris wheel motor turning back on, the promising creak of the old machinery telling them that they were on their way back to the ground.

Once they were back on solid ground, Marcus noticed a huge teddy bear on display in one of the nearby tents. He was determined to win it for Abby. All he had to do was knock down a few creepy clowns with a ball. Easy.

Forty-eight dollars and a sore right arm later, he finally won the giant white teddy bear. He wiped the sweat from his brow and proudly presented the bear to Abby, who stood ever so patiently by as she watched him fail countless times before he won. She smiled and thanked him for the bear and then took his hand as they strolled along the ends of the fairgrounds, leaving the boardwalk and entering the beach. Abby removed her sandals and held them in her hand, said she liked to feel the sand beneath her feet.

They stumbled upon a seaside bar and grill and followed the sound of live music until they found the local cover band playing classic rock tunes, entertaining a small group of mostly forty-somethings. Abby sat her teddy bear down on a bar stool and grabbed Marcus by the hand.

“Wha?” was all he could say before she had him on the makeshift dance floor of the outdoor dining patio, swaying along to Fleetwood Mac covers. In the midst of the music, he held her against him and he could feel the steam of summer on his skin. He rested his head on her shoulder and breathed her in; she smelled of mandarin and jasmine, his new favorite scents.

“What’s your plans for tomorrow,” she asked him casually. Her eyes were closed and she rested peacefully against him as they moved side to side to the rhythm of the music.

His heart nearly stopped. He’d been putting it off all evening, pushing it away in his brain, just wanting to enjoy every moment with her without thinking of the end. He furrowed his brow and tried to think of the words, how to explain it to her. His silence caused her to break free of his comforting grasp and she was facing him now, the expression on her face demanding a response.

“Marcus?”

“I… I’m going home tomorrow. I’m going back to Cleveland in the morning.”

Abby’s face fell. “Home? Cleveland? I don’t understand.”

“I’m just here on vacation. Today’s my last day.”

She grew from disappointed to visibly hurt and angry. “ _Vacation_? Do you make a habit of wooing women at fairs when on vacation and then dropping the bomb on them that you’re going home in the morning 2,000 miles away?”

“No, Abby, I don’t. I was going to tell you but… we were having so much fun…”

She frantically wiped the tears from her eyes and stormed off the dance floor towards the dimly lit beach. Marcus grabbed her teddy bear from the bar stool and dashed after her, cursing the sand that was entering his sneakers.

“Abby! Wait! It’s not safe to be out here by yourself.” Marcus jogged and caught up to Abby who was walking away in a huff, doing her best to avoid him. She held her shoes in one hand and one-half of her white maxi skirt in the other.

“Abby, please,” he pleaded. “How can I make this right?”

She stopped suddenly, turned to face him. “Stay.”

He looked at her curiously, confused. “What?”

“Stay here. With me. Come home with me tonight.”

“Abby, I—”

“I’ve never met someone who makes me feel the way you make me feel, Marcus. And I know you feel the same. I know we’ve only known one another for a number of hours but… I need more than that. I need more than just a few hours with you.”

It was all happening so fast, he went over everything in his head and it was all nearly too much at once. He had only a week left on his lease back home, he can work from home no matter where he’s at, his only family is his mother who lives in a 55+ community in Florida… What did he have to lose? Nothing. But he had everything to possibly gain.

“Okay.”

“I know you probably think I’m crazy but I—Wait, what did you just say?”

“I said okay. I’ll stay.”

Abby stared at him in disbelief until the realization suddenly hit her and she laughed deliriously as she ran into his arms.

Marcus chuckled and pulled her into him. “I need more than just a few hours with you, too. I can’t imagine you ever being anything but mine.”

He felt her hands roam his pants until she pulled his phone from the pocket of his jeans. He watched as she typed something into his phone and then handed it back to him.

“My address,” she said simply. “I’ll see you in half an hour.”

***

_And in the morning I'm leaving, making my way back to Cleveland_

_So tonight I hope that I will do just fine_

_And I don't see how you could ever be_

_Anything but mine_


End file.
